HOW DO I BEGIN A FAT LOSS PLAN?…LET ME COUNT THE WAYS!

Most people are unsure about how to begin a fat loss program.
They have many questions about food choices, meal composition
and exercise.

Getting yourself in good physical condition will require
willpower and dedication and the desire to get results. It is
not easy to lose body fat. It took a long time to accumulate the
fat and it will take just as long to remove it.

Remember that you should aim to lose 1.5 to 2 lbs. per week.
Lose any faster and you are probably losing water and muscle.
Losing muscle is detrimental to any fat loss program because it
is muscle that burns calories. THE MORE MUSCLE YOU HAVE THE MORE
CALORIES YOUR BODY REQUIRES!

If you lose fat slowly while learning to adopt a healthy
lifestyle, you are more likely to keep the weight off. And, if
you ever falter, you’ll know exactly how to get back to your
goal weight without returning to your old ways.

Here is how to start a good eating program.

1. Increase your water intake. If you are exercising, try to
drink at least 100 oz. to 128 oz. per day. 2. Limit yourself to
two drinks per week. Alcohol slows your metabolism and decreases
your body’s ability to burn fat by as much at 40%. Empty
calories! 3. Decrease significantly or completely eliminate
sugar from your diet. If you are a dessert person, treat
yourself once a week to something sweet. This includes soda. If
you are a soda drinker, switch to diet and only have two cans
per day…Splenda sweetened preferred! 4. Eat 5 small meals per
day. This is the most important factor in losing fat. Eating
smaller more frequent meals will speed up your metabolism and
prevent your body from going into starvation mode. Each meal
should be approximately 3 hours apart. 5. Try to eat a serving
of vegetables with 3 of your 5 meals. Vegetables are water rich
(so is fruit) and have plenty of vitamins and fiber. They are
filling and of course they are good for you. 6. Do not eat 3
hours before bedtime. The evening is when you are least active
and your metabolism slows in preparation for sleep. You risk
storing late-night calories as fat. IF you are absolutely
starving at night, have a few pieces of fat free turkey breast
to fight the hunger. 7. Do not skip breakfast. This is the meal
that will govern your day. Eat a basic breakfast of
carbohydrates, protein and fat to set up your metabolism for the
day and to provide fuel for your daily activities. Remember, if
you don’t feed yourself a small wholesome meal in the morning,
your body will draw on your muscle tissue as a source of energy,
putting you in a slump and in muscle deficit. This means your
body will eat your muscle to fuel your activities and your body
fat will grow. 8. To lose fat you must put yourself into calorie
deficit. This means you will have to eat less than you have been
eating. Try to eat 500 calories less per day than you have been
eating or reduce your calorie intake by 250 calories and add
enough exercise to burn 250 calories. (Example: 35 minutes on a
treadmill at 4% incline at 3.5mph.) 9. Lower your starchy
carbohydrate intake, increase your protein intake and be careful
how much fat you eat. Some fat is necessary. Try not to eat more
than 20% of your daily calories from fat. Starchy carbs are
potatoes, rice, beans, bread, pasta, oatmeal, etc. Replace these
carbohydrates with fibrous carbs, such as green veggies. The
best way to slowly lower your carb intake is to stop eating
starchy carbs after 3pm so that your last two meals of the day
do not contain starchy carbs. 10. Get 8 hours sleep per night.
Sleep, rest and relaxation are of prime importance. It’s during
periods of sound sleep that our bodies recuperate and build
muscle tissue. Lack of sleep encourages the production of the
hormone Cortisol. High levels of Cortisol have been shown to
promote fat storage.

My fat loss and fitness plan “Every Body Loses” will give you
the tools you need to begin a healthy weight loss program. The
style of eating and exercising outlined in my book is one that
you can follow for life without feeling deprived. If you’re
serious about losing fat and getting fit go to
www.aim4nutrition.com and get started TODAY!

Good Luck and Be Well,

Aimee Deak Personal Trainer & Nutrition Analyst AIM 4 NUTRITION

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